A Rundown Clock
by Chairman-Meowith
Summary: Jem knows that he's dying and Will tries to find him in time. Tessa reacts poorly to the news, but as Will is otherwise occupied, someone else will have to comfort her.
1. The Exquisite Horror of Reality

Jem walked slowly down the alley. He could feel himself running down, like a watch in need of winding. This would be his last walk, he was sure and yet, he couldn't say how he knew. He wouldn't tell Will or Tessa, they would only worry, and there was no point anymore. He was dying. Jem leaned against a dirty wall, he was weary to the bone. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, yet to sleep would be to die and he wanted to see Tessa one last time. Jem wondered if he should have taken more of the drug before he had left the institute as a cough burst from his lungs. He sucked in a breath, causing himself to cough more violently. He gasped for breath, dropping to one knee. The coughing eased some and he dragged the back of his sleeve across his mouth, grimacing at the previously white fabric. Jem struggled to his feet, determined to make it back to the Institute, and wondering if he had perhaps left it too late.

Will woke in the night, his chest burning. He ripped open his loose shirt and stared at the parabatai rune on his chest. Instead of being black as it normally was, it had faded to gray. _Jem, _he thought wildly, leaping from his bed. He rushed into Jem's room and finding him missing, proceeded downstairs, tearing outside. The night was cool and crisp, a slight breeze making his hair drift gently about his face. Will looked around worriedly, Jem had probably taken his usual route, it was probably best for Will to follow it. Will took off down the street, determined to find Jem, and hoping he wasn't too late.

Jem slid to the ground, still leaning heavily on the damp walls of the shops lining the alley. Another cough wracked his slim frame, and more blood trickled down his chin. He had stopped bothering to wipe it away now, there was simply too much. Jem wheezed and rolled onto his back, gazing up at the starry sky. He coughed again, more weakly. His breaths were shallow and quick, he had given up on regulating his breathing, there was no point. He was dying, he had known it for years, suspected its coming for weeks, and felt it before he had gone on his foolish walk. His breaths grew quieter, the coughing had eased, the tightness in his chest had not. Jem tried in vain to breathe, the edges of his vision going black. A cool wind blew down the alley, flowing over his pallid face. Jem clenched his eyes shut, feeling as though his chest would explode. And then suddenly, the harsh lines in his face relaxed, his arms lay limp across his stomach and all was still.

Will knew the moment Jem ceased being. He doubled over on the street corner, retching. The ties that had held Jem to his heart had been severed, in the cruelest way possible. A great emptiness seemed to well up inside of him and the edges of his vision were tinged with darkness, as sparks flashed across his eyes. Tears flowed down his cheeks, dripped from his chin. Will straightened, aware that he was attracting curious looks from passerby. He couldn't bring himself to care.

It took Will another half hour to find Jem's body. The shell that had once been his brother in more than blood, lay in an unassuming alley. Tears were still streaming down his face, as he progressed towards Jem.

"James," he whispered, dropping to a crouch beside his body. His breath hitched in his throat, choking him. Will touched the side of Jem's face gently. "_Ave Atque Vale_ Jem. Hail and farewell brother." The words so soft as to barely be audible. Will ran a hand over Jem's silvery hair, his tears falling on Jem's face, as he realized that he would never see the silver of Jem's eyes again, never see his quirky grin, hear his clear laugh. Will lifted Jem gently, Jem's head lolling against his chest. He carried Jem back to the Institute, wondering what he would do. He should probably tell Charlotte first, she could notify the proper people, then Tessa, who would be crushed. It was hard to breathe through his pain, his throat closing, eyes burning as he forced back the tears. He had known ever since he met Jem that he would die, it wasn't as if it was a shock, but it still hurt.

Will reached the Institute, his dark hair damp with sweat. He freed one of his hands to pull at the large knocker. Charlotte appeared a few moments later, still in her nightclothes. She paled visibly as she saw Will's burden. She noted his wild appearance, the tousled hair, the tearstains. "I'm sorry Will," was all she could think to say. She stood next to him and ushered him inside. Will allowed her to guide him, his heart pumping painfully in his chest. He would have liked nothing better than to have run off, sought relief in battle, but no. Jem was his responsibility right now. Will was his parabatai, he would see him through this too. Charlotte looked up at Will, his handsome face set into a blank mask, betraying none of the hurt he must be feeling. "Stay here a moment," she murmured, then fled into the recesses of the Institute, leaving Will alone once more.


	2. The Whips and Scorns of Time

/I don't really care for Tessa much, so she might get a biiiit ooc sorry also this is in apparently some kind of weird AU I dunno... because this has suddenly gotten strange and also Tessa quotes Hamlet

Tessa hurtled down the stairs, down past Charlotte in the study, speaking rapidly to Magnus and writing at the same pace. She didn't know what was going on, she hadn't waited to be fetched, but immediately come down after Charlotte's bustle woke her. She reached the entrance hall, stopping dead as she saw Jem. The room seemed to spin around her as she gasped for breath.

"No, Jem. No you're fine, you were fine." She couldn't understand, wouldn't. Jem couldn't be dead, it wasn't possible. She stumbled backwards, practically falling into the arms of Magnus, who had apparently followed her down. He gripped her shoulders tightly, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I am sorry Will, Tessa. The first death is never easy." Will was just standing there with that horrible, blank expression, like he had completely shut down. He brushed past Tessa and Magnus, who was still holding her shoulders, without saying a word. Tessa crumpled, finding herself without the strength to stand. Magnus caught her, lifting her easily into his arms. He wasn't especially fond of the girl, but he did feel some empathy for her. "Come on then Miss Gray." He said, with another small sigh. He had thought that Tessa would handle Jem's death with more grace, but then, he'd also thought that Will would comfort her. However, Will was obviously not in a position to do so. She probably felt completely alone and that he really could empathize with. Tessa had turned her face into his chest and was weeping silently. Magnus suspected that if he hadn't witnessed the deaths of so many of his own friends, he would also be very sad, instead of this slightly hollow feeling.

He opened the door to his place, a _very _small bungalow. He was being poor again, having too much money was _so _tiresome. He tried to set Tessa down on the musty bed in the corner, but she was clinging to him with the ferocity of a wildcat.

"Let go Tessa." He said softly, then more firmly, "Tessa, let me go." But she was still clutching his shirt front and it didn't seem like she intended to let him go at all. He sat on the bed, Tessa's arms wrapped around him. Magnus looked down at her, slightly uncomfortable, for once not really sure what to say. He slung an arm around her and ran his long fingers over her hair. "Do you really think this is what James would have wanted?" He asked, breaking the silence that had accumulated around them. Tessa raised her head and looked more calmly at him.

"No, I don't think so at all, but I don't know what else to do. I don't know what Jem would have wanted. I don't know." She was looking at him like all the soul had been taken from her. Her eyes were flat and dead, and Magnus knew that there was no cure for her, any more than there had been a cure for Jem.

"Then you must think Miss Gray. Because I believe you do know what James would think. Do you think this is honouring his memory? All this senseless weeping and carrying on?" Magnus bit back his torrent of words, a long forgotten anger rising to the surface.

Tessa didn't have the energy to be indignant, what was the point after all? Jem was dead and Will hated her, what use was life to her? She drew away from Magnus, curling up in the corner.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." She replied bitterly. "Your emotions are long dead. 'The pangs of dispis'd love' never bothered you did they?"

"Don't quote Shakespeare at me." Magnus snarled back, "I have loved and lost more than you will ever know. I hope you are immortal, I do. Because that is the only way you could ever possibly understand what I have suffered." He had known there was a reason he hadn't cared for her. "Everyone I know dies. Every damn person. And I have learned to deal with that." Tessa had the most satisfying, stunned look on her face, but Magnus was too angry to properly enjoy it. He stood up abruptly and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.

/Wow. Sorry that really got away from me...


End file.
